Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova’s sudden stand-down: Her future must be in doubt - Michael Burgess

Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova had opted to take a leave of absence during an 'employment-related' investigation. Photo / Getty Images

Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.

OPINION

The future of Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova must be in doubt.

While the internal investigation is still to be concluded, on the surface it is hard to see the 49-year-old coming back from this and returning to the dugout. It is not completely out of the question, but conventional wisdom would say it was unlikely.

On Sunday afternoon a short statement from New Zealand Football was released to media, saying Klimkova will miss the upcoming matches against Japan in Spain, as she had opted to take a leave of absence “while an investigation is concluded into an employment-related matter”.

The announcement came as a bolt from the blue and the Herald understands that most Ferns’ staff members did not know it was on the horizon. But it must be serious.

Launching such an investigation is never done lightly while the timing is also problematic, with the Olympics starting in less than two months. It’s the kind of thing that, ideally, NZF would have shelved if it could, waiting until after Paris. In that scenario, the matter could have been dealt with as part of the usual end of campaign review, with any necessary changes made at a much easier and more logical junction.

But they have opted to do it now, which means that it couldn’t wait, with assistant coach Michael Mayne to take charge of the team for the two games against Japan (Saturday June 1 and Tuesday June 4 NZT).

It also probably doesn’t help her case that Klimkova has a difficult tenure. The team endured a run of poor results ahead of the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup, which were concerning, even if a run of injuries were mitigating factors.

The stunning victory over Norway to open the tournament was a godsend – and a massive boost for the sport in this country – but the subsequent failure to capitalise on that result and qualify for the knockout stages was a huge missed opportunity, with the 1-0 loss to minnows the Philippines a critical blow.

And the team has only performed in fits and starts since that tournament, with the 0-0 draw with Thailand at home last month the latest blip. Klimkova was signed to an unprecedented six-year contract in 2021, which ran through until the end of the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

She was well regarded for her work in age group football but it was still a brave move, given her lack of experience as a head coach at senior level.

At the time NZF chief executive Andrew Pragnell told the Herald the extended tenure was borne out of a desire to provide stability and certainty, rather than being at the “behest of results, tournament by tournament”.

It was also a reaction to the carousel of coaches that the Ferns had had since Tony Readings stepped down in September 2017.

Andreas Heraf lasted less than a year, before Tom Sermanni was appointed in October 2018. Sermanni oversaw the 2019 World Cup campaign and the Tokyo Olympics but opted not to re-apply for the role, when it became apparent that NZF were seeking a long-term appointment.

Klimkova has overseen 39 internationals, only behind Tony Readings (82) and John Herdman (68) on the all-time list for Fern’s mentors.